


Convergence

by writerdot



Series: 14 Day McDanno Challenge [13]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: 5x20, Gen, post episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3686445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerdot/pseuds/writerdot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He doesn’t particularly want to wake his best friend if he can help it. He knows how badly Steve sleeps, but he also knows how much a person can regret falling asleep on one’s desk after a long, crappy day.</p><p>A Post Episode tag for 5x20.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Convergence

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there. So, I actually enjoyed Friday's episode; I've become fond of Grover. But I was really bummed when we got NO Steve/Danny interaction. This is my attempt to fix that. I also managed to keep this within my 30 McDanno challenge. Hopefully it works. Hope you guys like it!

**Day 13: Eating ice cream**

“Hey, Steve,” Danny says into Steve’s voicemail as he makes his way into HQ. “You are slacking, my friend. This is my fifteenth voicemail to your thirteen you left on mine. I have told you before that phone tag is my least favorite game in the world, right? Call me.”

He hangs up and sighs tiredly as he opens the door. He frowns when he says a faint glow of light. It’s so late that he wasn’t really expecting any one else to be here, which, in hindsight, is stupid, because he knows his partner better than that. Sure enough, Danny shakes his head knowingly when he sees the light is coming from Steve’s office, illuminating the surrounding area of the otherwise dark outer office.

“Hey,” he hollers as he makes a bee-line to Steve’s office. “I am blaming the fact that I am exhausted for not expecting you to be here this late, but maybe you could answer your-“

He stops short when he sees Steve’s head on his desk, soft snores coming from his open mouth; he’s sound asleep.

He doesn’t particularly want to wake his best friend if he can help it. He knows how badly Steve sleeps, but he also knows how much a person can regret falling asleep on one’s desk after a long, crappy day.

“Steve,” he says, quietly, but firmly. Steve stirs a little but doesn’t wake. Danny remembers what a bad idea it can be to shake him awake, but he realizes he may have no choice.

“Steve,” he says a little louder, making his way around his partner’s desk, reaches his hand out…

…and Steve wakes with a jolt.

“Hey,” Steve rasps, looking around as though trying to remember where he is. He relaxes with relief when he recognizes his surroundings. “There you are.”

“Here I am,” Danny responds lightly. “I’m glad you’re getting some sleep, but this is not really the best place to do it.”

“Yeah,” Steve sighs, his fingers rubbing his eyes. “I know. But with what happened with Grover…I didn’t want him to have to deal with the paperwork, so Chin and Kono and I split it so he could go home. I sent them home…” he looks at his watch. “…two hours ago and gave everyone tomorrow off.”

“That had better include yourself.”

Steve avoids Danny’s gaze. “I thought I would come in for a couple of hours and-“

“Nope,” Danny cuts him off. “You’re taking tomorrow off, too, Steven. If I have to call Rachel to ask if Grace can come over to give you the puppy dog eyes, I will.”

Steve shoots him a glare. “That’s evil.”

“Yes,” Danny agrees. “But desparate measures and all that.”

Steve sighs. “Fine, fine.”

“Good boy. Now, speaking of Grover…how is he?” Danny asks, sitting on the edge of Steve’s desk. “I wanted to call and check on him, but I wasn’t sure if that was the best idea right now.”

“He’s not handling this well,” Steve confirms. “Might be best to leave it for a day or two.”

Danny nods. Steve leans back in his chair, eyes him carefully. “I heard about your adventure with Doctor Shaw. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, compared to Grover, I’m good,” Danny answers with a shrug. “I mean, being stuck in an elevator for three hours wasn’t good for the, uh, the claustrophobia, but I did get stuck with a doctor who knew how to calm me down, so I guess it could have been worse.”

“Okay,” Steve says slowly, still looking at him critically, as though he thinks that Danny is going to fall unconscious right in front of him. “If you’re sure. Once I heard, I kept trying to get a hold of you, but it always went to voicemail.”

“Same with you,” Danny says, holding his phone in his hand and wiggling it. “We just kept missing each other, I guess. Once Doctor Shaw and I got out of our little prison, my case was pretty simple. Get this, the guy was so arrogant, he left a fingerprint on the body for us to identify him…and we found him _playing golf_ , like he hadn’t killed a guy.”

Steve shakes his head in disbelief. “That’s insane. Just when I think people can’t surprise me, someone new pops up.”

Danny knows he must be thinking about the case with Grover. He wonders, sometimes, how it must feel to be Steve; to be someone who really does feel more than he would like to let on. He knows Steve feels a sense of, not only responsibility, but empathy, too, for every single person he cares about. Danny’s been on the receiving end of it, himself, more than once.

He still remembers Steve apologizing profusely when the Governor had rejected his request to accompany Danny back to New Jersey after discovering Matty in Columbia. Hell, Steve was ready to defy their boss before Danny was able to talk him out of it. He hadn't wanted Steve to get into any more trouble because of him.

“I know, right?” Danny tilts his head. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear me call you about twenty minutes ago, though. You usually have that ringer on so high, I could probably hear it when I’m at my house.”

Steve frowns again, reaches into his pocket for his phone. He curses. “It died. I’m sorry, that was stupid of me.”

“It’s fine, we’re all good, right?” Danny asks, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder.

“Grover isn’t.”

“No,” Danny concedes, vowing to call and check on Lou in the morning. He’s met Grover’s wife, he decides he'll call her to test the waters first. “He’s not.”

They’re both quiet for a few minutes and Danny can feel the fatigue creeping up on him again, in full force. When he sees Steve’s eyes beginning to droop, his decision is made.

“Come on,” Danny urges, pushing himself off of Steve’s desk. “I was going to knock out some paperwork too, but I’m exhausted, and judging by your little nap on your desk, I know you are, too. Let’s go get drunk and crash at your place.”

“That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day,” Steve declares, stretching in his seat before standing up to gather his things.

“I do have great ideas,” Danny quips, smiles when Steve laughs a little. Then another thought occurs to him. “You know what I just remembered that is in your freezer from Grace’s last visit? Goes really good, with, well, everything, but I know from personal experience goes great with beer?”

Steve stops, looking surprised. “That Brownie Batter ice cream she was craving? That’s still in there?”

“After she left, I discovered she hadn’t finished it, so I hid it behind the leftover bag of ice we used for the last cookout. Thought it might be good on a rainy day…or a crappy one, as the case may be.”

“That sounds really good,” Steve answers sincerely.

“Yep,” Danny responds. “So, chop chop, McGarrett. Beer and ice cream await.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Steve says, turning off the light in his office and following Danny out. “Hey, Danny?”

Danny stops and turns around as he pulls his keys from his pocket. “Steve, you are not deterring me from my goal.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Not trying to…just, I’m sorry you got trapped in an elevator.”

Danny feels himself soften. “Thanks, babe, but I really am okay.”

“Okay,” Steve nods decisively. Danny has a feeling he’s trying to tell himself to let go of this one thing that he can’t control, that if Danny says he’s fine, then he really is.

Danny has an absurd impulse to rub Steve’s head and tell him how proud he is of him. He manages to curb that impulse.

 “Good,” Danny says fondly. “Ready?”

Steve smiles softly. “Yeah. Let’s go… I’m driving.”

Danny deftly tosses him the keys over his shoulder. Baby steps, after all. “Of course you are.”


End file.
